Florida Gators
Providence
Gator Men's Basketball Downs Friars To Move To 3-0
Saturday, November 27, 2004 | Men's Basketball
For the first time, Billy Donovan wanted his alma mater to lose. And Matt Walsh made that happen.
Walsh scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, helping No. 22/23 Florida defeat Providence, 84-66, Saturday and earning MVP honors for the third time in three appearances at the Orange Bowl Classic. Walsh matched former Gator great Udonis Haslem as the only other three-time winner of the award at the annual event.
"I've had three pretty good games here," said Walsh, who led Florida past Miami two years ago and West Virginia last season at the event. "I don't know if it's the arena or the atmosphere or what. Every time I come here I've had great experiences, but we've also had three wins -- and I think that's the most important thing."
Walsh was 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range for the Gators (3-0). Anthony Roberson added 17 points and seven assists for Florida, which hit 57 percent of its shots.
It was the first time Donovan coached against Providence, the school he led to the 1987 Final Four as a player. Donovan, a 1999 inductee to the Friars' Hall of Fame, averaged 20.6 points that season for Rick Pitino's club, won the team's MVP award twice and still ranks among Providence's top 15 in career scoring.
"I follow those guys every single game," Donovan said. "I still look for Providence scores. I want to see them do well. I'm very thankful for the people at Providence who touched my life, who took an active interest in me personally basketball-wise. It was a great place."
Until the final minutes, Providence hung tough against the Gators.
Dwight Brewington's two free throws with 8:25 left brought Providence within 62-55, but the Friars didn't score again for more than 3 minutes -- and Florida pulled away with a quick 8-0 run.
Lee hit two free throws and Walsh then connected on back-to-back 3-pointers for a 70-55 lead with 6:02 left. Another Walsh basket with 3:45 left pushed Florida's margin to 74-57.
Anthony Roberson had 17 points, seven assists and just one turnover. David Lee had 16 points and Taurean Green added 13 for the Gators.
Florida returns to action Tuesday night when they host the Florida A&M Rattlers at 7:30 p.m. at the O'Connell Center.
